The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says the number of Afghans returning from exile has vastly exceeded expectations.

It says a million people have now taken advantage of the UNHCR's repatriation programme, which began in March, and another 200,000 have come home under their own steam.

Most were refugees in Pakistan, but large numbers have also returned from Iran and other countries of central Asia.

A BBC correspondent in Kabul says many of the exiles were from the capital originally and are now bringing life back to some of its most damaged neighbourhoods.

Meanwhile, the UNHCR has predicted that two million Afghans will have returned by the end of the year, more than double its previous estimate.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service